Following You
by Bug-in-a-Rug
Summary: Kagome found the secrets to the well. She found Youko at the same time. They give their hearts to each other, Kagome knowing he will soon die. She plans to tie herself to his next life. Fates got it set the other way around. YoukoKag now, YoukoKagkur
1. How we Met

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own little more then a coke can and a recording of bay-watch from about seven years ago... *sigh*.... But at least you can't sue me for those, right? *lawyer barges in the front door* I can never get away from these people can I?......... thought not...  
  
AN: I felt guilty about leaving the Kag/Kur fans hanging on my last fic so I started a new one. This ones a Kag/ Youko at the beginning, should be Kag/kur fic later on.  
  
Kagome sat on the rim of the well, gazing at the trees around her and the twilight sky above her. She glanced at the path way in front of her from time to time, hoping to see the familiar kitsune staring at her, but he hadn't gotten there yet. Kagome thought back to the day when she had first learned that the well was a lot different then she thought. The day she first learned how to control it's true power.  
  
~* memory*~  
  
Kagome had, once again, just been in a fight with Inu Yasha on whether or not she was allowed to go home. He had blatantly denied letting her go, and she had left some obvious death threats hanging in the air. It had all gone pretty normally until she called him an idiot, that's when he decided to throw some pretty nasty comparisons between her and Kikyo into the fight.  
  
The prayer beads had, once again, proved an important ally to the teenage girl, and a dangerous enemy to Inu Yasha, who then found himself in a ten foot deep crater. Kagome had felt tears of both sorrow and rage swell up in her eyes and, preferring not to let him see how he affected her (AN: Though I'm sure we ALL know that he felt just how much he affected her) she jumped into the well.  
  
When the swirling blue and pink lights surrounded her, Kagome once again noticed the stars that seemed to float in the abyss around her. But this time, she also noticed the little marks on the faces of the twinkling spheres. She looked at the stars and noticed that no two where the same. One in particular caught her eye.  
  
On the face of this particular jewel was an elaborate picture of a rose. There was a clawed hand holding the rose gingerly, as if it was the greatest treasure in the world. The sharp claws seemed almost like they could cut through the world itself, and yet they didn't even scratch the roses petals. What caught her attention, though, was how realistic it all appeared. The whole picture was gray and yet you could almost see the tinge of pink in the petals and the fleshy color on the hand.  
  
Without really knowing what she was doing, Kagome reached out and grasped the flower star. Just as her fingers enclosed on the star, she felt her body heat sore as it did when she was just about to appear on the wells other side, and a bright light surrounded her. She pulled her free hand up to cover her eyes, but just as her hand reached her face, the light disappeared, and Kagome felt her feet hit solid ground.  
  
Looking up, Kagome saw something that she had definitely not suspected.  
  
Where' s the well house? Kagome spent several moments gazing at the canopy above her. Hardly any sun shone through the leaves. The well... it... it didn't let me through?! What happened? Did something go wrong? Maybe it was just some sort of mistake.  
  
Kagome began to climb out, figuring that she could jump back in again and go home. But about half way up, she began to hear the sounds of metal clashing on metal. She knew that noise. It was a sword fight. What if it's Inu Yasha? He'd just tell me to get out of the way anyway... Kagome decided to wait out the fight where she was, latched securely on the vines of the well.  
  
She occasionally heard a snatch of some sort of conversation, but most of it didn't make sense. They said things like 'you didn't deserve such a beautiful gem anyway,' and 'you haven't the right to say that!'. She soon heard something that made her nervous though. One called the other thief. 'Thief' called the other Sir, but neither 'Sir' nor 'thief' sounded remotely familiar. Kagome caught herself wishing sincerely that whoever won this duel would be friendly. She didn't really like the idea of being cut up right now.  
  
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Kagome didn't have to wait long before the sounds of the swordfight ended abruptly when a scream of agony sliced through the air. She cringed when she heard the scream turn to a gurgle, and then fade into nothing. The thud told her that the loser had fallen, and she said a silent prayer for the mans soul.  
  
She silently began to climb the vines but stopped a couple of feet up when the sound of a conversation reached her ears.  
  
"I don't think I'll ever understand why you insist to fight these weaklings in their own way instead of just killing them right off and getting them out of the way..." Kagome was already starting to think that maybe the good guy didn't win.  
  
"I do it," that was thief's voice, "simply to prove that I can. Whether or not you understand my methods has nothing to do with it." Through the scorn, Kagome could almost hear the smirk in his voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, sire... that was disrespectful of me," the voice of the first man had become humble.  
  
"Yes. It was. But no matter, general, just take this body and get rid of it."  
  
"Yes, Master Youko," Kagome listened to the man leave, and then pondered on that name. Youko... where have I heard that name before... it was in my time I think...  
  
~*~*~*~* flashback *~*~*~*~  
  
A red-head walked down the side walk staring ahead with a blank expression. Kagome was walking several feet behind him, along with half the school and anyone else who lived in this part of the city. She made any glances she took of him look casual, and tried to altogether avoid glancing at the other demon who seemed to be following him.  
  
She knew that there were at least four other demons in the dozens of people behind her, all seemed to be following the same people she was. She could sense the creatures behind her, and slowly maneuvered herself to a hearing distance of them. Kagome kept herself insignificant, and listened to the conversation they were having.  
  
"Your an idiot, Kurome! How can this boy possibly be Youko! He's a ningen for the gods sake!" one voice hissed.  
"I didn't say he was Youko I just said that he smells like him..." Kurome replied.  
"How the heck would you know! He disappeared when you were nothing but a guppy!?" Guppy? Kagome had to hold in her giggling. Are these guys fish or frog demons? And what the heck are they doing in Tokyo?... The voice who had said this seemed to be female, but she couldn't quite tell.  
"My father said he smelled like rain and rose petals..." Kurome finished.  
"Rain and rose petals? What a girly smell..." This was a new voice, and Kagome already knew he was probably the true idiot of the group.  
"Rain and rose petals? Rain and rose petals!" The first voice hissed, "There are hundreds of people that smell like rain or rose petals! And some are even Youkai! How can you possibly be so sure of this one?!"  
"He doesn't look like an ordinary human..." Kurome was loosing the argument.  
"Youko was a legendary thief! Nobody could beat him! He made himself a legend, and you think this... this ningen is somehow connected to him just because he doesn't 'look like an ordinary human'!!! You are wasting me time Kurome!" And with that, the four dispersed.  
  
~*~*~*~* two months later*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome searches through dozens of books of legends and myths. Hardly anything is mentioned about a demon thieve named Youko but there is enough to tell her about what all happened to the demons. She found hidden web- sites on the internet that told her of the spirit and demon realms. She found enough here to get herself the knowledge she needed to find out about Youko.  
  
She eventually found a portal to the spirit realm. After dawning a cloak and covering her human scent and aura, she let herself in to the cities local library. It didn't take her long to find hundreds of scrolls on the notorious thief Youko Kurama. He had stolen most of the most brilliant jewels in his time, building an army to follow him in his adventures.  
  
Kagome found herself amazed at his many jobs. He had seemed to prefer the more difficult jobs. He passed over the seemingly impossible guards with a supreme type of ease that brought shame to most all of those who were hired to make them protected. He was clever, devious, and incredibly good at what he did. He never seemed to do anything without being fully prepared.  
  
Kagome was strangely put out when she found out his fate. He was separated from his men during his last job, which appeared to have been a set trap. He was then ambushed, and killed. She spent the rest of her night reading about what had happened over the last couple of years. She had visited that same library once a week from then on, keeping track of what was going on in the spirit world, and slowly learning about what was common knowledge here.  
  
~*~*~*~* end flashback *~*~*~*~  
  
All of these memories had come to Kagome in the space of three seconds, and she gasped as she realized three things. One, she was only about a hundred years in the past instead of five hundred. Two, the man above her was a thief and possible killer. Three, she had just come across a man of legend, one who most likely didn't like humans.  
  
But Kagome realized her mistake too late, and only when she heard the exiting footsteps of the kitsune thief stop. Slapping her hand to her mouth, she covered her aura over and pulled herself into the shadows.  
  
She heard his footsteps approach the well, and then saw the vines grow and then shrink to help in him into it. She used a little more of her miko gift to make her own body camouflage with the well's wall. Hoping to the gods it had worked, Kagome watched as his body descended, and felt her breath catch in her throat at his beauty.  
  
Youko stopped descending when he was only a few inches in front of her. He leaned his face forward, sniffing the air around him and unfortunately putting his nose only about four centimeters away from hers. Kagome mentally slapped herself when she realized that she had chosen this time to realize that the youkai month ago had been right, Youko did smell of rain and rose petals.  
  
Kagome felt her heart speed up as he leaned even closer, close enough that she could feel his breath on her lips. She ignored all this in favor of fear, though, when it seemed his eyes locked with hers. Doubling her efforts in camouflaging her body, she was relieved when the vines retreated and he jumped over the well's rim. Kagome waited a few minutes after his footsteps faded into the distance before repeating his actions, minus the help of the vines.  
  
When Kagome did pull herself from the well she realized that she must be in the Makai. Not only because of the strangely colored sky but also because of the shape of the trees. She shrugged, trying desperately to ignore the blueish demon blood on the ground by distracting herself. Makes sense that I'm in the Makai. How else could I run into Youko Kurama?  
  
As soon as those thoughts entered her mind, they were thrown out to make space for new ones as a hand slid around her waist and roughly pulled her into a rock hard chest. She gasped as a clawed hand came up to her throat and pressed against the skin, a basic threat to do whatever your told.  
  
"Very clever ningen. Though you forgot to suppress your scent..." A voice drawled in her ear, causing shivers to go up her spine. Youko had not fallen for her little trick after all then. The claw pressed harder when his voice came back to her, "But tell me, how could a ningen use such magic. Tell me quickly, I have little patience when it comes to what I want." ~*~*~*~* end memory *~*~*~*~ 


	2. The Last Time

Disclaimer: If I owned the dancing lint in my shoes I'd be rather pleased with myself. Do you even need to ask whether I own two very popular animes?  
  
-^-^-^-^ LAST CHAPTER^-^-^-^-  
"Very clever ningen. Though you forgot to supress your scent..." A voice draweled in her ear, causing shivers to go up her spine. Youko had not fallen for her little trick after all then. The claw pressed harder when his voice came back to her, "But tell me, how could a ningen use such magic. Tell me quickly, I have little patience when it comes to what I want." ~*~*~*~* end memory *~*~*~*~  
  
-^-^-^-^ THIS CHAPTER^-^-^-^-  
Kagome stood and walked around the clearing, gazing lovingly at the beautiful Makai sky. They had spent lots of time together, fox and she. By the time she had convinced him that he could trust her, she found herself trusting him as well. She had begun to visit him every time she left the feudal era. Their friendship had continued to grow until they both realized that they cared for each other less like friendliness, and more like a crush.  
  
Kagome ran her fingers over the bark of the closest trees. They had never kissed. They were always either uncomfortable or interrupted. She longed to feel his lips on hers. Of course, she would never tell him. She didn't want to risk what they had now just because she couldn't be patient.  
  
She smiled as she remembered the things he had been teaching her. He had just trained her on the basics of fighting and magic. He had told her that she needed to go the rest of the way herself, that that would give her her own techniques. She had still spent most of her time asking him to help her perfect it.  
  
He had given her lots of good advice. One, never let even your friends see your skills unless you are ready for everyone to know. She had loved that one, and she had never really been needed in the fights in feudal era. She loved the way that every time Inu Yasha called her weak, she could be sure she could beat him. But because of his own advice, Youko knew very little about what she could do. True, he knew more about it then anybody else, but he didn't know even half of what she was capable of.  
  
Two, he had taught her that a good lie was sometimes better then the truth. Like telling Inu Yasha and the gang that she went home earlier then usual because she hadn't been getting enough sleep thanks to a certain half dog-demon. She hadn't been such a good liar before she met Youko, but he had helped her out with that too. She found it strange that despite the fact that she had a feeling he lied to her a lot about her jobs, she found it very hard to lie in any acceptable way when she talked to him.  
  
Three, suspect everything, but don't let it change your regular chain of thought. You may guess but it shouldn't affect the outcome of your decisions unless your sure of what you have put at the base of your thoughts.  
  
His trainings and advice had made her a demon in her own right. He had taught her how to center your magic on certain deeds, like running or finding a scent, and that it could increase it's performance. Hence how Kagome could now follow Inu Yasha at a miles distance by following a scent an hour old. True, with this same method she could catch up to Inu Yasha at the same measurements pretty easily, but... where was the fun in that?  
  
She knew that, if given the motivations, she could kill Sesshomaru with only a little trouble, but she didn't want to give up the fudal era yet. As Kagome and Youko had become closer, so had she and Shippo. He had been calling her Oka-san (AN: Right? I know you guys are gonna correct me whether I ask or not, but I thought I'd point it out) for weeks, much to the discomfort of a certain hanyou.  
  
Walking over to the other side of the clearing, Kagome shifted her thoughts to the well. She had learned that it was something like a tunnel, one end the feudal era and one end the modern era. Each of the stars was a stop between the two times, and if you picked one of the stars, you go to a certain time in between the two ends of the tunnel. She had theories that if you could somehow dodge either of the ends of the 'tunnel', that you could go beyond each of the time stops to something further.  
  
Of course, as new stars in the sky die and are born, stars in the tunnel did the same. The well could only work from one point to another. The stars and ends all slowly travel down the time line, hense how when Kagome jumped down the well the second time, she didn't come out at the same time she did her first trip, Inu Yasha pinned to the Goshinbuku and all. All of them moved at the same pace, so one second in the modern time would be one second in the feudal era and everywhere else. Unfortunately, the well only worked from one point in time to another, so, as things roll on, some of the stars are bound to roll off the tunnel. (AN: If I'm confusing you, just ignore me ^-^) Which meant that someday the modern time wouldn't be able to travel through the well anymore. Kagome's only consolation was that it would probably be LONG after she was dead.  
  
Kagome was brought out of her revere by two arms encircling her waist and gently pulling her into an embrace. She leaned into the chest behind her, not having to turn or open her eyes to know who was there.  
  
"Youko..." Kagome whispered, being totally comfortable in this position.  
"Love..." the voice behind said softly. Kagome could feel his chest vibrating and felt her smile widen. He was purring.. She loved it when he did that.  
  
After a few minutes of holding each other Youko grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her to the well. Lowering himself to lean against it, he pulled her into his lap. His forehead came to rest on her head as his nose was buried in her hair. His arms were rapped around her waist and his hair fell in a curtain around them. Not that it was needed. The grass somehow found a way to grow into a woven wall around them.  
  
Youko suddenly sobered.  
"Kagome?" he wasn't sure where he was supposed to begin.  
"Yes," was the soft response from the woman he held. He knew that he cared for her. He remembered being attracted to her right from the beginning. Kitsune tend to love the scent of their own elements, and Kagome smelled of water lilies. When she had stepped from the well he could see her obvious beauty, and he wasn't sure if he should ignore the attraction because she was human. She was also strong enough in magic to evade a lesser and less skeptical youkai, and with some training she could do more.  
  
That attraction hadn't faded when she had ignored her fear in favor of sarcasm to answer his question. "Oh really? Hmm... Us humans with our weak noses tend to forget things like that... He had of course asked her questions like 'how did you get into the Makai,' 'why is your dress so... abnormal'. Her answers went along the lines of 'haven't the slightest' and 'I've been asking the school board that same question for ages...'. She had only fueled his curiosity with those answers, and he loved puzzles.  
  
He had been surprised when he started to see her full potential. But when he saw how eager she was to learn, he had taught her what she should know. When one of his enemies had threatened to destroy all he held dear he had taught her how to use a knife, and how to pick locks. Neither of those skills she seemed proud of, but hadn't objected to learning them. He applauded her for her innocence, but prayed that she would never get caught in a situation where that very innocence could get her killed.  
  
He knew that Kagome hated his work. She didn't like any of the things he loved. She hated the danger, the difficulties. She had told him several times that it would get him killed. He had responded that he'd rather die no other way. Of course, the first time they had said these words Kagome had broken down crying, much to the discomfort and confusion of a certain kitsune.  
  
Youko wasn't sure whether to hate himself or Kagome for his decision, but he had chosen to make this his last job. It was for her, of course. He had chosen the most difficult prize for his last. If he was going to go out, why not go out with a bang.  
  
"Kagome I..." he lowered his voice, and brought his lips down next to her ear, "I've got a job to do coming up pretty soon." He felt her back stiffen against his chest.  
  
"What?" Her voice was chocked, and he pulled her more tightly against him. He ignored her question and went on.  
  
"I'm leaving two days from now," he felt her shoulders shake. She began to push herself up and he hastily released her so she wouldn't hurt herself. He stood up to join her just as she spun around. The sight that greeted him made his stomach turn with guilt.  
  
Her beautiful face was already streaked with tears, her mouth and shoulders quivered. She glared at him, and her hands were fisted at her sides. Her eyes were filled with both grief and rage. She was obviously trying to hide her fear and instead show her anger.  
  
"Why?!" Kagome screamed at him, "Why do you insist on killing yourself?!" Youko looked into her eyes, his guilt eating him inside out. He didn't want to be the one to make her feel like this. He reached up and put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, only to have it knocked away.  
  
"It's the last job I'm going to do, Kagome..." Youko was interrupted before he could start trying to comfort her.  
  
"It may very well be your last!" Youko flattened his ears against the loud onslaught of high pitched words, "Do you want to get your tail shot off? Do you want to lose everything you've earned? Do you want to leave me?!" Youko was surprised at the last one. He had never thought of that. Would she really be that hurt if he left her.  
  
Reaching out with hawk-like speed, he pulled Kagome into a harsh embrace. She struggled weakly, but her efforts proved futile when Youko didn't even move. She kicked out, pushed away from his chest, but he stayed firm. He put his lips to her ear and began to murmur comforting sentences.  
  
"Never... I'll never leave you... I'll be back... I promise... I promise never to leave you..."  
  
After a few moments of this Kagome began to calm down, and slowly melted into his embrace. Her sobs grew louder and her tears stained his clothes.  
  
"I... I don't want you... to... leave me, Youko..." Kagome stuttered between sobs.  
  
"I won't. I promise," Youko suddenly began to pray that this was true. If this was how she acted just because of the prospect of loosing her, then how much would he hurt her if he did get himself killed?  
  
After about an hour Kagome's sobs began to fade and her breathing evened out. Youko repositioned her and watched her sleep. He had told her many times that he cared for her. That she was more to him then any of the gems he stole. That was very true, but it didn't tell her the extent of his feelings. He knew she was a ningen. Knew she was a strange mage of some sort from a different time. Knew that she wouldn't kill an innocent for all the world. She was the exact opposite of everything he thought he would look for in a mate. She was clumsy. Almost never serious. A little immature. She preferred to pay for whatever she took.  
  
But she cared for him none-the-less. She was an angel in personality, and yet she cared for the devil that was him. He had always expected that he would merely deal with his mate as the only way to pass on his genetics and the heir to his title. He knew that his mate would most likely not care if he died one day, as long as her and her pup had his wealth and his army. He had never dreamed that he'd find someone who cared nothing for either of those, and who would grieve if she lost him. Maybe that in itself was why he had never thought he would have one. She was his weakness. And Youko Kurama didn't have a weakness...  
  
~*~*~*~* the next morning *~*~*~*~  
  
Youko woke up abruptly and the first thing he noticed was that light was peaking up behind the trees. What he noticed next made him jump up. Kagome was gone. He looked around the clearing, only stopping when his eyes fell upon the white note atop the well's rim.  
  
A note.  
  
Youko walked over and picked it up, scanning the outside of the paper with a fiery gaze. Why didn't she wake me up to say good-bye?! He opened up the note and began to read.  
  
Dear Youko, I'm having some problems with your decision. I need some time to... well, figure things out. I'm sorry I didn't wake you up, but you looked so angelic sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you. I'll be back before you leave... promise... Remember, I'm keeping my promise, you had better keep yours...  
  
---Higurashi, Kagome  
  
Youko stared at the words within the note fore a few seconds. He wasn't sure of her feelings from the note. She seemed a little disturbed at first, then gracious, and then angry. Maybe those were the things she needed to 'figure out'....  
  
~*~*~*~* Modern times *~*~*~*~  
  
When Kagome got home, she crept up to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. She felt her tears come once again, but this time no sobbing ripped from her throat. She knew that she wouldn't be able to take it. If Kurama died, she wouldn't have a heart to mend. It wouldn't only break, it would shatter and burn, melt and be grinded to dust. She knew she loved him. It would hurt all the more to know that he returned at least some feelings, but didn't return simply because he couldn't. And he never would.  
  
Kagome stayed in the same position on her bed, crying her heart out, till noon. Here is when her mother came to put some folded clothes in her room. She had jumped at first, surprised to see her daughter, and then she shouted a greeting. As soon as Kagome sat up though, rubbing her red, swollen eyes, her mothers smile disappeared and she hurried to her daughters side.  
  
"Hunny! What's wrong?" An idea came to Ms. Higurashi, and her heart suddenly stopped beating, "Nothing happened did it? Nobodies hurt..."  
  
"No, momma, nobodies hurt..." Kagome whispered, voice raspy.  
  
"Then, what's wrong?" Kagome looked into her mothers middle-aged face. The laugh -lines. The worry-lines. The perfect picture of a mother. One arm was wrapped around her daughters waist. Eyes filled with confusion and worry. Kagome couldn't help it, she launched herself at her mother and latched her arms around her neck. Sobs wracked the poor womans chest as she hugged her mother.  
  
"Oh momma! I... I love him... I fell in love with a doomed man!" Kagome felt her mothers arms wrap around her and pull her closer. Shushing her daughter in a ginger way.  
  
"Shhh, hunny, what are you talking about?" So Kagome told her. All the way from finding the secret of the well to the future of the love of her life. How he had said it was his final job, so that meant that this was the one. He was going to die. And she was going to lose him.  
  
Her mother was silent. She felt for her daughter. "You are a braver girl then I ever could be, Kagome..." Kagome looked at her mother with questioning eyes.  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Because you let yourself fall for the one who needed it most, even though it would hurt you," Kagome felt guilty now. Her mother thought that she had fallen for him because he needed it.  
  
"I didn't fall in love with him because I thought that he needed it most mother, it was just an accident that I fell for him..." Kagome whispered. A slow smile came onto her mothers lips.  
  
"Then why did you ever go back to him a second time?" Good question... Why did I go back?, "You may not have even realized it at the time hunny, but I know you. You went back to give somebody what they never dreamed they'd have. A friend who didn't care about his material possessions. You didn't realize that it would go as far as it did, but you put your heart on the line anyway."  
  
"No, mother... I just let myself love him because I was able to convince myself I could change things," Kagome whimpered.  
  
"Maybe you did," Kagome was confused by her mother. She had always known that her mother was a lot different then the mask she put on. Maybe she was wiser. Maybe she was desperate. But right now she was just going on a dizzying tour to nowhere.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Never underestimate what a change in someone's heart can cause. He would have died two days from now, if you where there or not. But you changed his life. And maybe... just maybe you change the next one," her mother whispered, "You've given a cold man a heart. A warrior some piece. You've given a life that would usually be red with blood the colors of memories. You've helped him in more ways then anyone else, and you should be proud of that." Kagome found herself feeling better. Ms. Higurashi stood up from the bed and walked over to the door. Before she could exit though, her daughter spoke up.  
  
"Mom?" Kagome smiled, though her mother was facing the opposite way, Kagome had a strange feeling she knew about it, "Thanks." 


	3. Visiting the Gods

Disclaimer:.Yeah right, and I just bought the moon on e-bay.  
  
AN: I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!! I got all KINDS of reviews!! I'm just. so. PROUD!!! It makes me so. so HAPPY!!!... sorry.. Grammies moment. But seriously!! I LOVE you guys!! Very cool reviews! Lovely lovelies... again. don't ask.  
  
"Mom?" Kagome smiled, though her mother was facing the opposite way, Kagome had a strange feeling she knew about it, "Thanks."  
  
~*~*~*~* Two hours later *~*~*~*~  
  
RING....  
  
Kagome glanced up from the school work she was catching up on to the phone by her bed. That would be Ayami... According to her mother she called at eight every night.  
  
RING  
  
Sighing, Kagome set down her books and swung her legs over the sides of the bed. She slowly pulled herself from the bed and walked across the room.  
  
RI.......  
  
"Konnechewa, Ayami..." (AN: Tell me ALL my misspelling so I can get it right next time, please)  
  
"Oh, Kagome!! How did you know it was me?" Kagome rolled her eyes and spread her legs, bending down until her torso and legs were parallel. She did these stretches once every two hours, and much more complicated ones before she trained.  
  
"Oh... lucky guess..." Kagome muttered, bending over backward as far as she could.  
  
"You'll never guess who's hair got covered in that... green... whatever it is at lunch today!"  
  
"Mmm?" Kagome pretty much zoned out from there. She wanted to do something for Youko before he... left... She could... ugg... What could she POSSIBLY give him the he wouldn't already have??? Kagome suddenly smiled.  
  
"Hey, Ayami?" Ayami, cut off from her ramblings, seemed a little angry as a 'hmmph' was heard on the other end, "I gotta go, do you think you could come over in about three days? I'm going over to my... er... aunts house. Her son's got diabetes and he's nervous about it so they thought with me being out of school with it and all, I might be able to help." Thank you, Youko!  
  
"Oh? Oh! Sure! I can probably come. Is the rest of the gang going to be there?" ( AN; I know Yuki and Ayami but what's the name of the last one?) Ayami asked excitedly.  
  
"Well... I want them to go but I haven't got the time to call them. Can you ask them for me? I really got to go..." Kagome felt the anticipation crawl up her spine at the thought of his gift.  
  
"Oh sure I was going to call the anyways," Ayami was never brought down by anything. A slow smile came on Kagome's face as she admired the girls ignorance.  
  
"Thanks. I'll see you in a couple of days," Kagome knew this would get her friends hopes up, only to come over and see Kagome crying and depressed. She suddenly felt guilty, knowing her friends curiosity would most likely chew her away when she got no explanation as to why she was acting that way.  
  
"Okay. Bye!" as soon as the dial tone came to her ear she hung up the phone and ran to her closet. she pulled out a gray sports bag and tore out of the room. She avoided her family if she could. She didn't want to stop. She soon reached the basement where she crawled over drawers and table tops, boxes and coat racks. When she reached an old and decaying dresser she slid behind it and pushed hard on the wall.  
  
She wasn't surprised when the wall moved over to show itself as the entrance to a large room with concrete floors showing only in the tiny cracks between rugs and pillows which littered the floors. The cracks of cement proved to be a foot apart in a large circle around the entire room. She ran into the center of the circle and threw the bag down, ignoring the sounds of the entryway closing behind her.  
  
Kagome ripped the bag open, pulling out the twenty Miko Candles and setting them in each of the cracks on the floor. When she was finished she hastily flicked her wrist, each of the candles in turn lit themselves. She reached into the bag again and pulled out a miko garb, ten small bowls, ten bottles of water, a necklace with an emerald leaf on a silver chain, and two stilettos.  
  
She jumped out of her modern day clothes and threw them into a bare area outside the circle, and quickly dawned the miko garb. She put the ten bowls in a ring inside the ring of candles and filled each with a bottle of water. Then she gingerly clasped the emerald necklace around her neck and put a stiletto in each hand.  
  
She reached into herself and started to stretch and kneed her power. She felt it grow within her and reveled in it. She leaned over and placed the stilettos in an X shape on the rug. She straightened her back again and clapped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes. Words came to her lips that she had learned long ago, but never had the courage to speak.  
  
"I call upon the gods to council my soul. I ask only that, for my cause, you take a piece of my spirit and soul and weave it into the very being of the jewel around my neck. I call upon the god of fire, shall he burn a mark upon me. I call upon the goddess of earth, shall she dig a trench around my heart. I call upon the god of water, shall he was the fear from my soul. I call upon the goddess of Air, shall she breath life into me. I call upon the gods of fire and water, the goddess's of earth and air. Though you appose each other, I pray that you unite in me. God of fire, god of water, goddess of earth, goddess of air. God of fire, god of water, goddess of earth, goddess of air. God..." as Kagome's words echoed around the room, four voices began to chant along with her, one voice per title.  
  
The flickering flame of the candles began to grow until they became towers of fire. The water in each of the bowls flew from their containers and took the shape of dragons who began to fly and circle the room. The air all around the room began to slowly revolve, then speed up into a tornado of whirl-winds that pulled at Kagome's hair and the wrinkles in her miko garb. The cement began to crack apart as plants and dirt pushed themselves into the room, where they crawled over the floors and walls to make their presence known.  
  
"Why hath thou called, young miko?" a surreal voice echoed across the room. Kagome's eyes snapped open but she didn't observe the surroundings. She knew that would make her look unserious of her proposal, and she was anything but unserious about this.  
  
"I have called upon you, gods of the elements, to ask you to bind me to the man I love, through this necklace, so that I may carry his soul onto the next life with me. I also ask you bind the necklace to his soul when it touches his skin, and let it charm the plants in which he charms."  
  
"Does thou know that the thieving kitsune is to fall into the clutches of the god of torment for all eternity?" The voice sent a chill down Kagome's spine, but she kept her expression rock solid.  
  
"Yes," Kagome replied, voice still monotone. There was a moment of silence before she heard the gods reply.  
  
"Thy bravery is both rare and priceless, and thy love is pure. We like not the choice of lovers, but trust in the goddess of fate that this is right. Thy power gives you the strength, and thy soul makes you worthy. You shall have what you wish and more." Kagome was surprised at this, she had never heard of the gods giving you more then what you asked for. Hell, she'd only heard of two miko's even getting what they asked for in the first place.  
  
"I... do not understand. What more do I need?" Kagome asked, voice no longer monotone but rather confused.  
  
"You are the first worthy of this gift, young miko. The only creatures we grant gifts come to us without fear, but rather acceptance and anticipation in thou heart. You hath no fear of us. You are fates child, kindness's pupil, and our friend. None who hath asked before have come with such recommendations."  
  
"I... I still.. How did I earn these... recommendations?" Kagome heard a small laugh from the voice.  
  
"Modest. You are worthy, young miko. You are child of fate because you are her most favored. Your spirit, strength, and unending trust earned you that. You took in an orphaned child, a youkai orphan who attacked you no less. This earned you the god of kindness's respect. You have become our friend because you, and you alone wish to disturb nothing unless we urge you to. As a flame tells an animal to run, as the heavens turn gray to warn you of a storm, as the water licks your feet to tell you a ship is coming, as the earth rumbles before she blows her fire to the heavens. Most creatures have lost the will to look for our encouragement, but you... you wait for us to signal."  
  
"When... when did I do that?!" Kagome whispered. She didn't think of herself as anything like the saint they presented her as.  
  
"Did you not wait for the tree to pulse beneath your fingers before you took the arrow from the hanyo's chest? Did you not avoid your daily bathing ritual when the water almost seemed to throb in anger? Did you not keep from trudging on the earth that housed the dead for fear you'd disturb the souls she took on? Did you not fear going on in your quest when the wind howled her disagreement?" Kagome thought back to times like those. Yes, she had been unexplainably nervous at times like that. Like as if she didn't think she had the right to disturb those things.  
  
"I'm not sure I deserve these praises. But I do not understand what you do, and will let you make your choice." Kagome whispered, utterly astounded at how often she had been near gods and goddesses and not even known it. She took a glance around the room, watching the blue flames lick the ceiling above her, and yet they didn't spread. The water dragons curled around the flames and circled her torso and arms. The air almost seemed to dance as it swirled noticeably around the room. The leaves on the vines that grew on the wall seemed to be prickling in conversations she couldn't hear.  
  
"You will understand eventually, little miko. We must warn you though. Since thy love has brought thou to this choice, thou shall have to test that very thing. You will have to enter the Maze of Uncertainty. There you will be brought to test everything you are. Your honesty, your kindness, your strength... your love. If you can go through this maze intact, you will be stronger in every way. And you will also gain a gift from each of us." The voices had seemed to slowly separate during that last sentence. Kagome was surprised when each began to speak separately.  
  
"I," the first was the deep voice of a male, "god of water, will give you the first born on my prize water dragon Splash to summon when you wish for her or are in need of her assistance."  
  
"I," female voice, "goddess of earth, will give you the unicorn Quartz of my best pack. He will come to you only when you need him. You need not summon him."  
  
"I," again, a male voice, "god of fire, will give you the fire cat Scorch. He will stay by your side always, as a friend and companion."  
  
"I," the last, a female, "goddess of wind, will give you the aid of the fairy , Silver Star, to be your guide and advisor." Again, the voices seemed to unite.  
  
"We will give you these gifts, young miko, because you are meant for great things. But be warned, if you treat these creatures as toys, or things under your control, we will take them from you, and you will loose our favor." Kagome bowed her head.  
  
"I accept the punishment in the maze, the gifts, and the warnings, and I thank you." Kagome replied. The fire retreated to the small flames on the candles, the water dragons jumped into the bowls, the plants retreated and pulled the cement back into place, and the air stilled. For a moment Kagome thought she had done something wrong, but then a bright light flashed.  
  
"We wish you well, young miko..." and with those words still echoing in her mind, Kagome collapsed.  
  
(AN: I can be evil!!! No... I'm not going to tell you what happened in the Maze of Uncertainty... though I'm going to bring it up A LOT in the later parts of the story. And by the way, for those who don't know... a lot is two words... if you don't believe me take if up with my language- arts teacher... she's very strict about such things... -_-++............. sorry... weird moment... Thanx to all the reviewers out there!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Your the highlight of my day!!! ^_^)  
  
~*~* When Kagome leaves the Maze of Uncertainty*~*~  
  
As the darkness began to subside, Kagome tried pointlessly to open her eyes. It took her a few minutes, but as soon as she cracked her eyes open, her head went reeling. She immediatly closed them again and reached her hand up to rub her temple.  
  
After this one... painful experience, Kagome found it easy to pull herself into a sitting position. At first she was totally confused on what had happened to her, but as it all came rolling back, she smiled.  
  
"Definitely not something I'll forget for a while..." (AN: hehehe... k, I'll stop...) She began to pull herself up, wincing every-time her muscles made a sharp protest to it. She felt like she had lain in that same spot for a century. She couldn't help but examine the stray locks that fell into her eyes for any sign of grays.  
  
When she finally pulled herself up she observed the room. Nothing had changed. In fact, the candles, bowls, and stilettos had disappeared. The only remnant of her little 'experiment' were the cracks in the cement and the miko garb she still wore. Well, that and...  
  
Kagome reached her hand to her forehead, tracing it all the was up to an inch before her hairline. When her fingers began to trail the six-sided star jewel embedded on there, her smile broadened to a grin. She was a Guardian now. First class. (AN: I'm being a LITTLE nice, so I'm gonna tell you what this is)  
  
This had all been explained to Kagome in the end of the maze. Guardians were the people or souls appointed to work directly for the gods. They went in class's for how effective they could be. Midoriko had gone into the maze in her final moments, and had been appointed third class, and a seat by the gods in the afterlife.  
  
Third class was pretty high actually. There were seventy three classes. First being a major effect in the timeline, think the next queen of England. Thirty being a man pushing the next Hitler in front of the train tracks. Seventy three being a woman taking in and taking car of a little orphan girl who is to be a senator who makes the tie braking vote on surrendering or fighting on.  
  
Problem was... no Guardian, first or seventy third class, knew how he/she was meant to effect the future. And Kagome was clueless as to why she had been selected as a Guardian, let alone first class.  
  
Not that Kagome had any qualms to being a Guardian. The benefits were heavenly and it was the greatest possible honor... but she was just a little confused. How was she supposed to do some sort of legendary thing when she had no clue what it was? Let alone where she was supposed to go, when she needed to go there, what did she need to do it and all those little details.  
  
Yet Kagome's smile had only broadened with her thoughts of the 'benefits'. Ah yes, and what benefits they were...  
  
~*~*~*~* few minutes later, or whenever Kagome gets her bearings*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome slowly trudged up the stairs toward the laundry room, trying to imagine what she could possibly tell her parents about why she had been down there for so long. She suddenly froze. What if... what if she had been in there longer then she had thought and two days had already...  
  
Tearing up the last of the stairs Kagome finally burst into the dining room, coming onto the scene of her family eating dinner. She tried to speak but found it useless while she was in the middle of gasping for breath. So, waiting a moment, she prepared again. She briefly noticed how noodles still hung out of her little brothers mouth, and how her jii-chan had not finished moving his chopsticks, leaving them halfway between his mouth and the plate, before trying again.  
  
"ItriedthisoldmikoincantationtocallonthegodsandI'mnotsurehowmuchtimehaspasse dandIreallyREALLYneedtoknow..." Silence. Total silence. Then the clunck of jii-chan's chicken hitting the plate.  
  
"... What?..." Souta spoke through the noodles. Kagome face faulted and tried to calm herself down.  
  
"What day is it?" She finally asked, annoyance showing clearly through the tightly restrained words. Souta rolled his eyes and finished eating his noodles, intending to say a rather sarcastic remark about his sisters cense of time, but his mother beat him to it.  
  
"Dear... are you alright?" Kagome sighed. She couldn't have been missing long... they still didn't know she had left. But she still felt doubts.  
  
"Just tell me what day it is..." she had said this a lot calmer then how she had snapped it the first time, but you could still tell she wanted to know.  
  
"Did you hit your head when you ran into the basement? I mean, it could be brain damage..." Kagome glared at her brother.  
  
"Okay then... how long ago DID I run into the basement," she continued before her grandfather could protest, "Just for the sake of argument..." her little brother's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he answered her anyway.  
  
"About fifteen minutes ago..." Souta answered slowly. Kagome felt a giant burden pulled off her shoulders.  
  
"Ah... thank the gods," Kagome immediately covered her mouth before starting to giggle. She'd have to be a lot more careful before saying those words anymore. When she finally opened her eyes, she noticed the stares of her family.  
  
Yep... they'd definitely think her crazy now...  
  
Kagome sighed and walked to her bedroom. She had places to go and people to see. And a very important present to give away. 


	4. What May End

Disclaimer: I hope no one out there REALLY thinks I own Inu Yasha OR Yu Yu Hakasho, but just in case. I don't.  
  
~* last time *~  
  
"About fifteen minutes ago..." Souta answered slowly. Kagome felt a giant burden pulled off her shoulders.  
  
"Ah... thank the gods," Kagome immediately covered her mouth before starting to giggle. She'd have to be a lot more careful before saying those words anymore. When she finally opened her eyes, she noticed the stares of her family.  
  
Yep... they'd definitely think her crazy now...  
  
Kagome sighed and walked to her bedroom. She had places to go and people to see. And a very important present to give away.  
  
~* this time *~  
  
~*~*~*~* With Youko, through the well *~*~*~*~  
  
Youko sighed. He knew she needed to work things out, but he'd really been looking foreword to spending some time with her. He had a feeling that he should.  
  
He was finding it increasingly hard to keep a clear mind. His generals and captains wouldn't give him a break with the compliments, amateur suggestions, reviews of a plan he had memorized, ect... They were MUCH to loud. He needed to get away from them. A small smirk came to his voice. And he knew exactly how to do it.  
  
The next moment all of the men who had bothered him so stood staring at the spot he had just been standing. He had just... disappeared... What had happened? They all scanned the halls for the fox youkai, but eventually got the idea that he wasn't there, and went searching the entire manor for him.  
  
Unbeknownst to them, the object of their search was sitting down against an old well, head leaned over the rim, taking deep breaths of the scent of the Makai pine trees and the faded scent of water lilies.  
  
Kagome...  
  
There was nothing that he cared for more. He would give up the all the tapestries and precious stones and golden trinkets he had ever stolen if ever it would save her. Of course, he knew that he would probably try something like stealing them back once he had her but he'd still choose her. Another small smirk graced his lips.  
  
Hell if he'd ever tell her he'd steal them back...  
  
He wasn't sure when he'd let his eyes close but the next thing he remembered he had felt a sudden warmth slide next to him. His eyes snapped open and he turned toward the warmth, only to have them lock with the beautiful stormy eyes he had come to know. He saw her smile and felt the familiar tingling in him stomach.  
  
"I'm surprised at you, Youko!" She said playfully, "I thought you'd have been awake as soon as I came out of the well!" She went to poke his stomach but as soon as she got close, his hand wrapped around hers. He slide his hand around hers until he was gripping the back of it and then brought her warm palm to his cheek.  
  
"I'm surprised at you..." Youko said, more calmly this time, "You've never given up to what I said so easily before." And that was true. She usually waited till the last minute to go back and debate with him, until one of them said sorry. He watched her smile get a little smaller and some sadness seep into her eyes.  
  
"I didn't want to spend the time before you... left, fighting over something... I don't even know what it was..." He knew what it was, but thought it better not to ruin this good fortune by telling her. He watched her for a minute before her eyes widened and she suddenly pulled her hand from his grip, "Oh! And before I forget..." Her hands reached up to unclasp the necklace she had set up for him. She pulled it off and watched as he stared at if for a moment, before returning his gaze to her, eyes confused,"... A gift."  
  
He reached up to gently grasp the necklace. He opened his hand for a moment to stare at it before looking back at her.  
  
"This is filled with, high level magic... where did you get it?" His eyes looked suspicious, and slightly demanding. For a moment Kagome wondered if she should lie, but gave up the idea upon seeing that she had done nothing wrong.  
  
"Well, technically, I got the necklace at this really low level jeweler named Marco in England, you know I went there one summer. Nice guy, real low prices! He's got..." Kagome stopped when she saw Youko's eyes. They had become a lot less confused and more demanding. His left eyebrow had jumped behind his bangs and his fox ears were turned slightly to the side, "...ehhem.. well... yeah, anyway. As I was saying, I bought the necklace and then just basically filled the necklace with the magic manually," she watched as his right eyebrow jumped to join the left and his eyes were now filled with disbelief. She suddenly realized what she had implied and put her hands up, "Oh no no no!!! I didn't do it myself. I used an old incantation for... donations so to speak."  
  
Youko hadn't gotten any less suspicious. He didn't know anyone who could get this level of magic without it killing them, well, short of the gods. He looked at Kagome suspiciously, then shook his head. No, there was NO way she could have gotten a hold of the gods, let alone convinced them to help her with something like this. He decided he'd figure it out later. And of course, he could always ask her questions and figure it out that way.  
  
"So, what's the purpose of all the magic the necklace possess?" He watched as a broad smile came over Kagome's face.  
  
"Oh you'll love it!" she gently took the necklace from his hand and laid in on the ground. As soon as the leaf touched the ground, the grass beneath it gathered together into a solid surface and carried it upward. Youko's eyes widened before a genuine smile came onto his face. As soon as it grew to where Youko face hovered, it stopped. Youko reached out and traced the leaf with his finger before carefully grasping it. He looked over at Kagome who quickly reached over and snatched it away, before moving behind him to fasten it on, "You want to know the really ironic part though?" Youko looked at her as she slid back in front of him. Her hand flew forward to grasp it again, and Youko's breath caught in his throat as her fingers hit his chest instead of the chain.  
  
Looking down, Youko watched as the necklace seemed to float back out through his skin. His gaze was now even more confused as he looked back at Kagome. She waggled (AN what else to you call it??) her eyebrows at him.  
  
"Anti-thief maneuvers," Youko smiled at her, eyes showing that he wasn't convinced that she had said everything.  
  
"And where, pray tell, does the necklace GO when it disappears?" He asked slowly, watching as the authenticity of her smile decreased. He was proud to know that though nobody else could tell when she lied, he had no trouble with it. He knew that she wasn't telling him everything now.  
  
"It basically just... grabs onto your spirit and holds on until the coast is clear..." She watched his eyes widen imperceptibly and suddenly felt insecure, "It doesn't hurt it or anything! It just holds on. And anytime you want to take it off it will loose it's path to your spirit! I promise!" Youko's eyes softened and he pulled her into a soft embrace.  
  
"I trust you, koi," he whispered, "it's just, it's all slightly... let's just say I've never seen anything with magic at this level before," he pulled her into his lap and smiled when she finally returned his embrace, "and I KNOW your not telling me everything. But that can wait, I suppose." He felt Kagome clutch him tighter.  
  
"But what if it can't..." he almost couldn't hear her, and he knew that he wasn't meant to, so he didn't respond. He knew what she meant though, and only clutched her tighter.  
  
~*~*~*~*Three hours later, the edge of the clearing*~*~*~*~  
  
Youko held Kagome tightly. He knew that she was afraid for him. It was strangely comforting to know that. But he didn't want her to be so sad. He didn't understand why she was so much more worried about him now then she had been with all of his other jobs. This was the same. He'd come back again. Why was she so worried?  
  
Kagome knew she was confusing him. He hadn't a clue why he would think this was so different. She knew that she should be pretending that everything was normal. That he'd be back soon and everything would be fine again. But she couldn't. It would mean letting go of Youko sooner. It would mean ending their embrace now. It was the last time she would see him alive. She couldn't let go that easily.  
  
She felt her tears slide down her cheek. Youko pulled back slightly and reached his hand over to pull up her chin. When her eyes met his he watched her intently for a moment. He saw signs of every emotion possible fly through her eyes. Hopelessness, jealousy, anger... the one that never changed or left for any amount of time was the depression. He wished that he could tell her he would stay. That he'd be safe and that she had nothing to be sad over. But he couldn't lie to her. He knew perfectly well that, tell her whatever he might, he would go on this job.  
  
"Don't worry, Kagome," he pulled her closer and nuzzled her cheek, "We'll be together again." Those words snapped Kagome out of it. Yes. They would see each other again. When he died she would follow him into the afterlife. She had already said her good-byes to her family. It would only be a short time before they were together again. Then they would live happily ever after, and she'd do what she was destined to do as a Guardian. She smiled.  
  
"I know we will," She said through her tears, "I know that..." And so she let him go. He looked at her for a moment, trapped in her clouded eyes. Leaning down, he caught her lips in a soft kiss. He put all his love for her in that kiss. All his pride, his passion. He wanted to make sure that she knew how he felt. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt himself begin to purr when she responded, and made no efforts to stop it. He had never purred before he had met her, and that in itself proved just how much she meant to him.  
  
Knowing that he had to leave, he quickly pulled away. Whispering a soft, "We'll see each other again..." he disappeared into the forest. Her shocked expression hurt him, he hadn't wanted to leave her that way. But he had felt that she needed it. That he had to make sure he did that before he left. He purposely swatted those thoughts away, and headed to the castle where the others would be waiting for him.  
  
~*~*~*~* back at the clearing *~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome just stared, wide eyed at the trees. She could still feel the warm tingle where his lips had been, bringing her hand up to brush over the imprint, she shivered.  
  
She had come to truly know him then. She knew what he felt for her. Everything he felt for her. He had put all that he was in that kiss, just to show her that. For one moment in her screwy life, she had had a pure moment of bliss. Her sadness and worries faded away. There had been no well, no feudal era, no home... The clearing had been gone. There was no home, no stealing, no secrets... No end...  
  
But it had ended, and as he left the harsh reality of all of this came tumbling back down. She loved him, he loved her. And now he had to face an ending that was sure to be pain filled and lonely. She couldn't stop it or help him... Kagome fell to her knees, jaw agape and wide eyes still firmly locked on the trees around the path he had disappeared by. Dropping her head into her hands, she cried. Tears flowing, eyes slammed shut, and body shaking in desperate sobs of grief.  
  
"No..." ~*~*~*~* about an hour later *~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome now lay on the forest floor. Eyes red rimmed, distant and unfocused. The cloudy orbs looked dead now. She kept reminding herself that she'd see him again, but it didn't help. What if we're not meant to be together in the next life? What if we're both born in the same time but we grow up away from each other and never find each other again? What if he forgets about me and falls in love with someone else?  
  
She absently brushed her fingers over her lips and found the answer to that last question. No... he couldn't forget about her anymore then she could forget about him. But she still felt the grief of her heart weighing down on her.  
  
That's about the time she heard it.  
  
Kagome sat bolt upright. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would be heard from miles around. Then it came again.  
  
'...Kagome...'  
Kagome jumped into a fighting position and spun around. The voice had sounded so much like Youko's. But how could it be? He was in the middle of a job somewhere.  
  
'... Kagome... I need you...'  
  
That had been all it took. Kagome tore through the forest toward the voice. He needed her. His voice had been so strange... so... so pained. She couldn't stand to think of him like that. She didn't even realize that she had been moving at the speed of a strong youkai. She did, however, feel the new star on her forehead pulse in a steady rhythm with her feet. She had to get to him... She had to!!  
  
Not five seconds later, Kagome came into a clearing. The grass around her was only a few inches shorter then she was. Running through it, she searched furiously for Youko. After a minute of this, she heard a distant shout. Glancing up, she saw a torch light. Then ten. Finally twenty. All heading toward the center of the field.  
  
Ducking beneath the grass, she ran to the center, finding, to her horror, a trail of blood. She felt her heart speed up and her adrenaline jump dramatically as she raced silently through the grass field, slowing only when she heard the soft panting of an animal. Creeping silently toward the sound, she crouched beneath the last strands of tall grass, looking inside at what she had not expected to see.  
  
In fox form, Youko struggled to push himself up. His back legs limp, the muscles in his front legs rippled and strained to keep up themselves. An ugly wound in his back where the spearhead had entered. It gushed with blood just to the left of his spinal cord. She guessed that was the reason why his back legs were paralyzed. But the part that hurt her much more to look at was his face.  
  
The only time she had seen Youko in fox form, his face had been strikingly familiar to his human forms. Soft, cunning... beautiful. But now, muzzle streaked in blood, face contorted into the angry scowl she had seen on ravaging demons so many times. His eyes filled with pain, anger...  
  
And hate.  
  
That scared her more then anything. She had never seen that look in his eyes before. She suddenly realized just how little she knew about him. She had always thought he was playing around when he stole the things he did, but now...  
  
Now he looked like a criminal...  
  
She jumped slightly when he heard him growl, just as his front legs went out. He lay there panting. Panting and bleeding. And she felt what little resolve against him she had formed break away. She didn't care if he was a criminal. She didn't care how many he'd killed. She'd never let him die alone. No matter how many died at his claws...  
  
Because she loved him...  
  
Springing quietly from the bushes, she jumped to his side. In his pain, he thought her a hunter, and began to growl threateningly. She shushed him and brought her hand to softly caress his muzzle, ignoring the blood. Having finally caught her scent, he quieted. His eyes widening instead.  
  
'It's okay, I'm really here,' she whispered telepathically. She felt him jump softly beneath her fingers.  
  
'How... how did you learn that!?' he murmured back. Smiling unconsciously, she brought her hand up to rub his ears.  
  
'It's not important now, koi,' she slowly lie down beside him, curling herself around his smaller form, 'No questions.' His body seemed to relax as she gently rubbed his neck and back, avoiding what was bound to be soar.  
  
'I'm going to die, love,' he finally murmured. Tears beginning to fill her eyes, she brought her nose down to his.  
  
'I know...'  
  
'I'm sorry I won't be able to keep my promise...' he found himself truly sad that this was the last time he'd see her. She shook her head, surprising him slightly.  
  
'You will. I've made sure of that...' and with that last sentence, she brought her lips to his nose, kissing him softly.  
  
'I'll never loose you.'  
  
With questioning eyes, Youko took his last breath. That's when the strange part happened. His whole body began to slide into translucence. Fading so that Kagome could see the flattened grass beneath him. Scared, she tried to pull him to her, but instead felt her arms slide right through a cold air, like fog.  
  
"Youko," she whispered frantically, "YOUKO!!" she hissed. What was going on? She had always thought that they'd both fall dead and travel to the next world together. But... Did it go wrong? Did she mess it up somehow?  
  
As his soul disappeared into the night sky above her, she heard the shouts of the hunters again, but so much closer this time. Head whipping around, she decided she'd have to figure this out someplace else. Jumping up, she used what skills she now had as a guardian, she flew across the grass towards the well, loosing them in seconds.  
  
Kagome was almost certain she had seen a clear-white streak go into the well, but dismissed it as a hallucination, and instead jumped in herself, closing her eyes until she felt her feet hit the solid ground of the well in her time.  
  
She didn't want to stay here. She knew her mother would try and comfort her. The last thing she wanted was to be comforted. She wanted to think this whole thing over. When Scorch wove from the gods knew where to sit at her feet, she got an idea. Getting into a praying position, she closed her eyes.  
  
"SilverStar, Fairy of the wind goddess, the second elemental goddess, I summon the for I am in need of your advice." When she opened her eyes, a tiny tornado of silver and gold began to spin before her. A moment later said tornado was replaced by a very ticked looking fairy.  
  
"What do you need? I WAS in the middle of dinner, you know!" Kagome ignored her.  
  
"Why didn't I follow Youko into the next world!?" When SilverStar merely looked confused she added, "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
AN: *hides in bomb shelter*.. I'M SORRY!! REALLY!! I didn't MEAN to wait so long to update! *hears silence. Stupidly walks out of bomb shelter to check if it's clear*  
  
Crowd of angry readers: *pop out of no where* GET HER!  
  
AoI2: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! *runs off*.  
  
Kagome: *sweatdrops* umm. forgive her. she's been having a hard time lately.  
  
Shippo: *looks after AoI2* I don't think she's coming back any time soon.  
  
Youko: *grins*  
  
Kagome: umm. well. thanks for readin! Ja ne! 


	5. blame my account or being late

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inu crew, or Yusuke and the gang, I don't got anything for you to sue, so if you come up short there's only you to blame.  
  
"I summon the Fairy of the second wind goddess, I need your advice." When she opened her eyes, a tiny tornado of silver and gold began to spin before her. A moment later said tornado was replaced by a very ticked looking fairy. Her short red hair pulled into a spiky ponytail and in what appeared to be a mini belly-shirt and sparkly shorts.  
  
"What do you need? I WAS in the middle of dinner, you know!" Kagome ignored her.  
  
"Why didn't I follow Youko into the next world!?" When SilverStar merely looked confused she added, "Did I do something wrong?" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::  
Silver star seemed to realize what she was talking about and grinned.  
  
"All is as need be, 'Gome! It will all be explained in time! Follow the road you would usually take and soon you'll find the destination meant to be found!" SilverStar stated happily, clearly proud of herself for what she considered an explanation. Kagome growled.  
  
"You know, when the gods gave you to me they said nothing about you talking in riddles!" SilverStar looked thoughtful but wasted no time before replying.  
  
"All the world is a riddle with no answer to be found," Kagome sighed angrily. SilverStar glared at her, "Well sor-ry if miss 'I'm the best!' doesn't like my answer!"  
  
"You didn't give me an answer, Tinkerbell!" She growled, angry at the mini diva.  
  
"That is a stereotype and you know it! That one little fairy went prancing off after a mortal and now they think all of us..." Kagome, having forced herself to be calm, interrupted.  
  
"Please, SilverStar... Just tell me... I will get to see him again... won't I?" The snotty fairy gave her a look that contained something to pity in it. Sighing in resolve, she flew to face Kagome eye to eye.  
  
"Listen, hun. I can't tell you what's going to happen. Merely lead you to the path meant for you. I can tell you that the gods are giving you what you asked for, just with a little twist." She leaned in and kissed Kagome on the nose. Leaning back, she raised her hand if farewell, "Chow!" The little tornado returned for her spectacular exit, and then Kagome and Scorch were left alone.  
  
~*~*~*~* Hours later, at a Makai bar *~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome sipped the spirit rum, welcoming the burning sensation in her throat. She absently pulled her fingers through the black fur of the sleeping Scorch in her lap. She had been paying more attention to holding her human aura at bay. They wouldn't be pleased with a human freeing herself to the comforts of spirit world so openly (AN Sound familiar?... Chihiro (sp?) had the same EXACT problem).  
  
She was watching the television-machine in the corner, which currently gave her view of the dark tournament. That Uremeshi's (AN: somebody give me the spelling!... If you already have... sorry! I have memory problems!) team seemed to be doing the best. The orange haired didn't seem to be doing... er... well, though.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bartender staring at her. Not that it mattered. Unlike his publicly displayed, titanic-size nose and the horns in his greasy ocean green hair, her profile, and the rest of her body (minus her hands of course) were covered in a black cloak. Kagome wondered if that in itself was why they guy was intimidated by her.  
  
'Do you have a staring problem?' Kagome sent him the telepathic message, for some reason extremely proud of herself when the man/demon jumped out of his stuper and shook his head. He couldn't even tell if she was male or female. She had made her voice an exact replica of those new computer voices and WOULD have masked her scent had the bartender been capable of finding it. And as it was it was only the two of them in the bar.  
  
Turning back to the screen she watched the short, greasy haired boy with a fishing pole open a box. She felt an eyebrow jump behind the shadows of the hood and watched as the entire arena began to fill with smoke, covering both the trickster and the red haired elemental. She heard a harsh chuckle vibrate in her throat as she realized why it looked so familiar. She had been to an American concert once. They had filled the stage with smoke so that you couldn't see as the singer came out of some door in the back.  
  
She couldn't help but feel sorry for the kind-hearted elemental. She could feel his potential even through the TV/demon video screen and saw the familiar sheen in the two's eyes, suggesting a mental conversation. She had guessed that this Kurama (she cringed inwardly, he had or was using her loves name) had taken pity on some unspoken plea from the boy, only to have that pity betrayed.  
  
Kagome watched as the smoke began to clear. Slowly shadows began to form. At first, they didn't make any sense. A tall figure that rose higher then Kurama and the trickster combined and shadows on the ground ranging from two to three feet up. Each slowly became more detailed until she could make out a bulge that appeared to be a tail on the taller figure and gaps and breaks between most of the grounds shadow. The only solid ground shadow left was slowly being wrapped around what appeared to be a second figure, small and timid against whatever it was around him.  
  
A shrill scream pierced the air and she wondered briefly who it belonged to. She had seen a sword fly into the arena last second and assumed it was the cause of the death. She knew that the taller figure hadn't fallen, but that still didn't explain anything. She wasn't sure who he was. Kagome did know, though, that she hoped the kind elemental had survived. All these thoughts left her mind, however, when the fog became even thinner.  
  
Kagome stood up so swiftly that she threw the chair she'd been sitting on across the room. Mouth agape, she could only watch as the form of her love came threw the smoke.  
  
Youko?  
  
She watched for a moment before his form began to shimmer. It shrunk and warped until it formed the different, yet still beautiful, elemental she had seen in the ring before.  
But how?  
Why didn't he come to me before?  
Where has he been?  
Does he remember?  
What changed?  
Will he know me?  
Does this mean that it all worked out after all?  
How come I haven't seen him before?  
  
But of all these thoughts, only one made it out of her lips.  
  
"I am going to KILL SilverStar!"  
  
AN: I MAY! Big may. have the next chappie ready already. but I need to know first if you want Kagome to (be totally occ but also to her new personality) make Kikyo look a little featherbrained and set up the scene for a rather quick and clean final battle with Naraku, or if you want her to finish all her stuff in the future first (with Youko) and then come back for the battle.  
  
Also, few things I'd like you to vote on;  
  
1) Do you want her to go against Naraku and everyone? 2) Do you want her to have a kinda mysterious look (like Youko when he  
first comes out)? 3) Should I drag Kouga into this??? (hehehe) 4) Would you like for me to put a vengeful Inu in the future? Could make a  
nice little problem. 5) Do you want Youko to recognize her when she first comes? Or should his  
memories be clouded? (I'm sorta leaning toward the first right now. I  
think I could have some fun with that.) 6) Would you like me to pair Hiei with an origanal, yyh, or iy character?  
  
Tha's bout it. but I would like you to put all your votes in this chapters review so they're easier to find. thanks! Ja! 


	6. Extra Long What I am

How come I haven't seen him before?  
  
But of all these thoughts, only one made it out of her lips.  
  
"I am going to KILL SilverStar!"  
  
half an hour later, in the feudal era   
  
Kagome happily jumped out of the well. She hummed the funeral march, which was both ironic and incredibly inappropriate. Nothing could take down her mood today. All she had to do was tie up a few loose ends and go home to her Youko. And then they could have some weird sort of demonic 'happily ever after' and be together till they were old and throwing their dentures at the other people in their nursing homes...  
  
Kagome shook her head... no more watching Ji-chans recordings of great-grandma Chiyo. They were doing weird things to her head.  
  
Kagome suddenly felt a soft ball hit her stomach at light speed, sending her flying onto the soft grass path. Kagome looked up at the furry misille for a moment before realizing that it was Shippo. She saw his shoulders start to shake and pulled him into a comforting hug.  
  
"I... I thought," Shippo sniffled and grabbed her shirt tightly, "I thought you were gone forever when Dog-boy couldn't go through the well! I thought you sealed it cause you never wanted to see me again!" And with that he let out a broken sob and broke down crying.  
  
"Shhh, honey! I'd never leave you! I just had a few things to..." it was only then that Kagome realized what Shippo had said, "Inu-Yasha couldn't go through the well?" Shippo shook his head, still holding himself firmly to his surrogate mother.  
  
"No... he jumped in and there was the light and everything, but then he came flying back out and he started yelling about the well not letting him through. He's still mumbling about a voice or something. I thought you had sealed it and were never coming back!" With that he latched himself onto her shirt again and started sobbing. Kagome held him and murmured comforting words into his ear, all the time heading slowly towards the village. She was surprised that Inu Yasha hadn't caught her scent and come running yet. Oh well... looked like someone was getting rusty!  
  
She grinned. She would have been slightly worried before she'd met Youko. But her feelings for Inu Yasha had slowly faded. Now she didn't really care what he was doing. Well, she didn't want him dead. She still considered him a friend. Or off slaughtering a village. Or off bugging some innocent villager...  
  
Kagome started to worry now. The previous three were actually possible situations, ones she really didn't want to see happening right now. She had things to do right now and didn't want to call up the Goddess of life and ask for a favor (that she probably would deny anyway) or pay off the villager for the damage, or have to bury another group of people...  
Kagome shuddered. Then she suddenly caught the faint scent of two familiar people... Shippo seemed to catch it too and looked at Kagome worriedly. Kagome rolled her eyes and turned to her left, the direction she had caught the scent, and started walking. Shippo right away became uncomfortable and started suggesting they not go this way. She glanced down at her son and smiled.  
  
"Don't worry. I know perfectly well what I'm going towards and I'm not sad or angry or anything like that," Shippo smiled, but he didn't look too reassured. Kagome just walked on with a smile on her face. She was going to LOVE the look on his face!!!  
  
Within two minutes she pushed away the last branch to come face to face with a lip-locked Inu Yasha and Kikyo. She grinned. They hadn't noticed her.  
  
"Oi!" They both jumped apart, Kikyo having already grabbed and loaded her bow, while Inu Yasha looked for all the world like he had just been given the most complicated math problem to solve before sunset, "I got something to talk to everybody about. When you two are finished here you can join us." And with that Kagome turned and walked back to the village, mood slightly withered from the sight of the hell-bound figurine, but pride still firmly swelled.  
  
A laughing Shippo still in her arms, she hurriedly walked into the hut and began all of her excited hello's to her friends, who had all shared similar worries to Shippo's (minus the crying and self blaming). When they had all sat down, a solemn look came onto the three's face.  
  
"Kagome... We have some bad news," Kagome smiled encouragingly and waited for them to go on, "Well, you see... Inu Yasha... he thought you'd never come back. He ran into Kikyo a few days back and got to... er... talking, and he decided that she'll be joining us on our search for the jewel shards." Sango jumped in right away.  
  
"We didn't want him to, Kagome-chan! Really! We tried to convince him that it was a bad choice and that it'd hurt you but..." Kagome cut her off.  
  
"It's fine Sango! Really! I don't care! I'm just wondering why he didn't get it over with sooner and ask her to join us BEFORE she gave most of our jewel shards to Naraku..." Everyone looked at one another curiously, wondering if Kagome just didn't want them to see how sad she was. They all silently agreed on it.  
  
About that time Kikyo walked in. She looked everyone over, nodding to each, before her eyes landed on Kagome and a cold look came into her eyes.  
  
"Copy," she nodded as she had with the others. Kagome smiled politely and waved.  
  
"Poltergeist," she nodded, "You finally done playing tongue-hockey with Dog-Boy?" Kikyo may not have understood what each of the words were, but she knew enough to throw a cold glare at Kagome before sitting down at the other side of the room. Shortly after, Inu Yasha walked in. Glancing guiltily in Kagome's direction, he 'keh'd' and walked across the room, sitting in a neutral position behind the fire.  
  
Kagome waited for everyone to assemble, and then frowned, trying to figure out how to put this without making them worry, but without leaving them without enough information to make them understand she wasn't just abandoning them for something stupid.  
  
"I'll be leaving for a while. A friend of mine needs me right now. I'd like it very much if you'd continue the search without us until Shippo and I return. And if you can, save the fight with Naraku until Shippo and I come back," everyone looked stunned. A barrage of questions flooded the room.  
  
"I'm coming with you??? YAY!!!" Kagome grinned and pulled Shippo close.  
  
"You're leaving? Fat chance, wench!" Inuyasha growled from his position behind the flickering flames.  
  
"Will you be in danger, Kagome-sama?" Miroku grasped his staff and absently rolled the beads on his cursed hand with his center finger.  
  
"Ye will do what ye must, child, but we all would like to know more about this occasion." Keada said sternly, not moving except to glance briefly at her remade sister.  
  
"You can't stay longer?! But you just got here!" Sango seemed close to tears.  
  
Kagome frowned. She hadn't really considered her friends reactions. A stupid thing on her part. Briefly changing the plans inside her mind, Kagome sighed.  
  
"First: Yes Shippo, you're coming with me. I couldn't very well abandon you like that," Kagome glanced at each of her friends in turn as she answered their questions, "Inu Yasha: I very much doubt you can stop me. Miroku: Yup. A little danger, but nothing I can't handle. Keada: I don't have much time to explain, but I'll try to elaborate a little. Sango, I'm really very sorry but it is very important I get there quickly. And above all, I can guarantee I'll be back before your wind tunnel takes you in Miroku." Miroku's eyes widened as Kagome came to his unsaid worries.  
  
"How can you 'guarantee' anything, wench?! You're never on time! And what the hell do you mean by you doubt I can stop you!?!" Kagome ignored Inu Yasha and stood. Walking up to stand by Miroku, Kagome grabbed his cursed hand. The rooms occupents were about to object when she turned his beaded palm upward and placed her otherhand parrallel above it. Closing her eyes in consentration, Kagome muttered softly for a moment before pulling off the protective glove.  
  
The entire room jumped and grabbed the nearest object. But nothing happened. A slightly pink light hovered above his palm, allowing everyone view to the swirling abyss of nothingness inside it. Kagome reached into the mist and cupped her hand around it. Still muttering, eyes still closed, a bright light flashed inside the alcove of her hand, sending blinding rays between her fingers. Pulling her hand away from it, the room gasped. The wind tunnel had shrank an inch in diameter. And where the edges had been ragged and torn, it now had a smooth perimeter. The abyss beneath it didn't fly nearly as violently anymore. The wind tunnel had regressed.  
  
Kagome grinned and slid the glove back on, watching as the pink light faded. "That should give you a good ten, maybe even fifteen years if you're careful." Turning to Inu Yasha, Kagome's grin widened slightly, "And that, Inu Yasha, is what I mean by 'I doubt you could stop me'."  
  
In the hut, not one living person's eyes (or eye, in Keada's case) hadn't reached the size of a tangerine at Kagome's obvious show. But of the dead however, the eyes weren't wide, but merely slits and glaring angrily. Kagome saw this and winked. Kikyo had, after all, called on the gods to plea for a place in the seats of guardians. She had taken, and failed the test. She would be bitter  
  
Kikyo snarled, "How did you manage, reincarnation? Did you cheat in the test? Or perhaps they went easy on you because you were weak?" Kagome growled.  
  
"You failed the test, Kikyo. I didn't. And they wouldn't put a weak heart in first class," Kikyo's eyes widened, and Kagome pulled her bangs back to reveal the star. Seventy three through seventy class had clear stars with a different amount of sides. Sixty nine through sixty had lavender stars with different sides. Fifty nine through forty had red and gray with different sides, and so on until the lowest of ranks. Kikyo knew all this, she'd seen it before she'd failed the test, and her face became impossibly (well maybe not for a dead girl) pale.  
  
Kagome grinned.  
  
Kikyo sat in shock.  
  
Keada's jaw dropped.  
  
Everyone else just looked confused.  
  
Kagome suddenly realized what she had done and dropped her bangs. That had been wrong. she wasn't supposed to flaunt her achievements like that. It was shameful. And it was dangerous. To her and each of her friends.  
  
Lowering her head in shame, Kagome silently chastised herself for that slip. She had been trying to goad Kikyo. To embarrass her. She had been selfish. Muttering a soft spell, Kagome molded the memories of the all in the room but the full demons (Kilala and Shippo... well and Scorch) and the reborn priestess. She made it so they suddenly couldn't remember what had been said between Kikyo and Kagome, although they remembered the two arguing.  
  
The room was suddenly filled with blank stares and a look of profound disturbance on the old priestess. Chances are she had heard of it from Kikyo when she was a child, and was the only one besides her sister and the Guardian who knew it's importance. Kagome couldn't wipe that knowledge away, so she instead just wiped away the words, leaving the old woman with a feeling of incomplete confusion.  
  
She hated to do that, but she couldn't destroy. The powers she had been given as a Guardian were those of the power to create and shape, not to destroy. It had been what she asked for. A single right answer in the test. So she didn't feel so much guilty about leaving the woman as she had made her but from having put her into that position in the first place.  
  
"Kikyo," Kagome began, careful to speak in a way no one but she and her reincarnate would understand, "I was given a message for you from The Upper Elements. Something meant only for you, something I can't even begin to understand. Something about failing because the dark path was worn down, and your feet having been set...?" Kikyo's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger, before softening slightly and fixing itself of the fire as if it would provide the answers.  
  
That message had only been meant for Kikyo, but Kagome had lied. She knew what it meant. It meant that the gods had known this was her destination from the beginning. The 'dark path' was the gods title of the path to/around/from or just of hell. Her feet having been set meant that, even though she meant well, she was destined to be where she was now. Imagine the blow to your pride. Having prided yourself on being a great, pure and holy priestess working for all good, finding out after spending fifty years in hell that you were meant for it. Meant for betrayal, meant for blood, meant for war.  
  
Kagome grinned, set herself on one knee, and looked at the priestess for the first time. She had only just realized how hard it must have been for her. She wouldn't have even been in collage yet in her time and she had already taken on a life-binding responsibility, much like a child. Well, a child half the demon population wanted to use for power... but she had gone through what she considered betrayal, having to die shortly after, hoping to spend eternity guarding the jewel in bliss.  
  
But the jewel, having been tainted, had dragged her soul to hell.  
  
Kagome had never felt more sympathy for the clay woman before her.  
  
"But your fate is only set to here," Kikyo looked at her blankly, "From this moment forward, from the moment you can see your possible paths, you have a choice. You don't have to follow the shadows of this path anymore. This is your crossroad, choose it wisely." Kagome's grin widened and she picked up Shippo with one arm and jumped up. About to walk out of the hut, the dead woman spoke up.  
  
"Kagome?" The future-girl halted, but didn't turn. This was the first time Kikyo had said her name, "The last part, the part about the choices... that wasn't part of the message from The Upper Elements, was it?" Kikyo had stood sometime during her response. Kagome didn't do anything for a moment. Then she turned, head tilted and eyes glinting. She pulled a camera from her back pocket and snapped a picture, freezing the group in their places. For a moment she just smiled, waiting for the Polaroid to dry. Then she stepped forward and offered it to the woman.  
  
"Not a chance! Those cold guys wouldn't say anything unless it's got a shadowy part," She grinned, "Much like Miroku's 'ominous clouds'." Kikyo softly took the picture, not looking away from Kagome. The young girl grinned, shouted 'See ya!' and was off to her well. Only when she was hardly visible in the distance did Kikyo look at the picture.  
  
She was standing off to the side, Sango directly behind her, Inu Yasha behind the flames and to Sango's right. Keada sat to his right, and Miroku to hers. The only person left in the picture was Kilala, who was looking into the flames with what could almost pass as a sad smile.  
  
And in the flames itself was the phantom of a praying Midoriko, the four gods at her shoulders.  
  
Kikyo's head whipped up to look at Kagome, the girl she had hated so strongly. Part of her was confused as to why she helped, the other just excepted it. Kikyo purified the shard in her chest, the one that bound her to Naraku, and fell to her knees.  
  
With Kagome   
  
Kagome sighed sadly. She had shown Kikyo the choices, and she knew she'd pick the right one. In the moment when she'd heard Kikyo's question, she knew that Kikyo's hatred had faded, and she knew she was ready to see the other choice. The choice that was so much better then spending eternity in hell, love at your right hand or no, but resulted in her death.  
  
She had appealed, silently, with the gods. She had told them that she would take full responsibility for the girl if they gave her a seat by the gods in heaven, and let Inu Yasha sit by her side when his time came as well. She knew that they would resurrect the woman, and all that Naraku had killed, when the jewel was complete, but that wouldn't stop Inu Yasha from being depressed. From not understanding.  
  
So Kagome pulled the note she had prepared from her backpack, and set it on the wells rim. The message was simple, but got the message across.  
  
'Dear Inu Yasha,  
  
I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you, but you must understand.  
Kikyo isn't gone, use your head.'  
  
That was the note in it's entirety, and beside it she set a jewel shard, as a clue in case he didn't understand her in his grief. Kagome already heard his angry footsteps approaching, and hastily jumped into the well. She couldn't face him. He'd question her as to 'why' she and Kikyo had done such and such and 'what' it all meant. These were dangerous questions, one's she couldn't afford to answer.  
  
Once she was on her side, Kagome noticed that Shippo had somehow fallen asleep, and hastily sat the block on the well. She had things to deal with now. No interruptions.  
  
half an hour later  
  
Kagome collected a duffel of clothes to wear. She brought mostly charmed jeans and t's that would repair themselves within twenty four hours and under things that would keep certain... ahem.... THINGS from sight no matter how bad the damage to her clothes was. She brought tenni's with charms similar to the ones on the jeans and ankle socks to keep her feet from blistering.  
  
She debated silently for a moment about weather to take a school team jacket, baseball cap and sunglasses as a way to disguise herself. On one side, she didn't want to wait any longer then necessary to see Youko. But then there was the fact that she wasn't even sure he remembered her. He might be able to live his life out happily now without bringing back painful memories from his past life. Then there was the fact that he might be suspicious to think she had somehow survived all these years in mint condition. He might also have some hidden agenda for this whole thing that, despite the fact she probably wouldn't approve of it, she didn't want to reveal who he really was, considering very few of the demons had recognized him.  
  
In the end, she brought the disguise.  
  
Damn it! Sometimes the thief in him was a pain in the butt...  
  
Kagome pulled herself out of her dry mood and grinned. This could be fun. After all, it wasn't every day you got to try and beat a thief in disguise at his own game!  
  
at the demon portal  
  
Kagome walked into the deserted warehouse whistling to 'You Are My Sunshine'. The happy tune stopped immediately when her shin connected with a brick-hard box and sent her tumbling over it. When she finally stopped, her head was at the bottom with her arms spread out on each side, back curving to where it met another box and leaving her feet sticking up in the air.  
  
Growling, Kagome muttered a few choice words about the reckless designs of idiot humans (in a style that would have given Sesshomaru pride) and pulled herself up. Somewhere along the way she'd lost a tennis-shoe, and it had left her left foot to freeze when she hopped down inside the maze of boxes to search for it.  
  
Amazingly, Kagome felt her instincts flare. Probably the demon portal setting it off, she thought dourly. But nevertheless, she took the warning and suppressed her scent and aura, stepping lightly to avoid making any sound. Her foot almost went numb working it's way across the tiled floor and ice cold boxes before she found the missing shoe. Jumping into the air (silently) and pumping her arm in the air triumphantly (still silently) she gave herself a pat on the back (with her free hand) and slipped the shoe back on.  
  
Walking back towards the portal, she was just about to start whistling again when she heard scratchy voices. Jumping the ten feet to the top of the nearest tower of boxes in an effortless grace that would have reminded any watcher of a cat, she sat on top of the tower quietly and didn't make a sound. The presences didn't seem to notice her, demon though they were, and continued as if no one had the ears to hear.  
  
"You know what the man said, Bunzo! It's him or nothin'!" The scaly demon smacked his friend, an unattractive oily green fellow who either had a bad demon rash or a very bad purple breakout, "Your such a moron! We don't catch him, we don't get paid!"  
  
"But I'm HUUUNGRRYYY!!! And this is Youko, Eiji! Think of the power!!!" 'Bunzo' shivered in pleasure and Kagome felt nausous. This dimwit, low level demon thought he could take on, and EAT! Youko! Kagome felt like laughing out loud. In fact, she did, and the two demons attention snapped in her direction. She looked down and them cooly and waved.  
  
"You should really pay more attention, Baka, if I came in here with anymore warning I'd be wearing a stop light!" Kagome lied. But hey, what would they know?  
  
"Shut up stupid mortal! Do you know who your messing with?!" Eiji shouted, "I'm a second class demon! So show some respect!" Bunzo nodded eagerly, looking up at her with, as far as she could tell, boastfulness or some mindless pride.  
  
Kagome giggled, "I could tell you were at most third class the second I saw you ratty hides!" She shouted, "No demon as ugly as you has the strength to kill a fly demon!" It appeared the demons didn't know which insult to respond to first. In a moment of mercy, she spared them the trouble, "Tell you what, you go back to whoever hired you with your tail between your legs and tell them you couldn't pass by the barrier, and I'll spare your dignity. Not to mention those nasty little faces of yours. Though any change to them would certainly be a good dead on my behalf. Save a lot of poor peoples eyes, I could." She nodded sagely, imitating Miroku and rubbing her chin. The demons bristled.  
  
"YOU DIRTY LITTLE NINGEN! WE SHOULD TARE YOU IN HALF! HOW DARE A WEAK LITTLE HUMAN LIKE YOU THREATEN US!" Kagome grinned.  
  
"So, you go for the charity option? Good. I need a work out before I go meet the team anyway." The demons growled and lunged.  
  
Ten minutes   
  
Kagome was whistling 'London Bridges Falling Down' as she stepped through the demon portal, in good spirits once again. Glancing back at the two demons she grinned and waved. The two were hung upside down sixty feet in the air from the beams that lined the roof of the warehouse. Their faces were blank as they tried to comprehend the situation. Where were they? What was going on? What's... oh bugger it...  
  
Bunzo and Eiji hung their, trying to remember who they were until an hour later, when a blue haired girl with an oar on her shoulder walked into the warehouse and caught site of them. Each seemed to be missing their left fighting sandal...  
  
At the arena's entrance   
  
Kagome walked, suppressing her human aura and scent, through the crowd of demons and towards the arena. It wasn't surprising, she supposed, that rumors were going around about Youko's team. They obviously had mixed feelings for it. Some (very little) thought that they might get to the final round before they were defeated. Most seemed to refuse even that because there was, after all, humans on the team. Any demon who traveled with humans couldn't have the strength for such a feet.  
  
She inwardly bristled, but continued listening to catch any news she could. She heard something about the sponsor of the team, a Prince Koenma, and how some wanted to complain to him about the team members. A couple theorized about the woman on the team, apparently a human girl with her head wrapped in in gauze like a mummy. Most of the females talked about their favorite demon fighters. She fought off a rising jealousy and then righteous anger when one said she wished Kurama would stay in his demon form and court her ('for surely' Kagome began to growl, 'he wouldn't want anyone but me.' Kagome snorted). But when she commented on his pathetic human form Kagome had to alter her course to keep herself from ripping the woman's head off.  
  
Looking up the players in a flier she found all the people in the teams and the rooms they were staying in. She had to keep back an unhappy growl when she saw that, thought their were long advertisements for the teams of most of the players temporary rooms, Youko's team had brief titles and nothing else. Obviously they didn't think it a good thing to spread around that humans stayed in their hotels. Folding up the flier and putting it in her back pocket, she headed toward the Arena. The VIPs stayed there, along with Koenma who supported her team. She'd have to speak with him in order to get a spot close enough to the team to scope it out and make sure Youko wasn't planning anything before getting any closer.  
  
In Koenma's office/room (okay people, this is where the story strays from the yuyu guidlines)  
  
"GEORGE!!!" The familiar ogre scurried around a chair and very almost bowled over the child-shaped leader in the process.  
  
"Y-Yes... Koenma... sama..." George muttered, still catching his breath.  
  
"I WANT SUSHI!" the hysterical prince calmed and put a finger to his chin, "And maybe some oden... I feel like oden..." George sweat dropped, "WELL?! WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!" George sighed and ran off to do as he was ordered. Koenma, now alone, turned to look out the window. It wouldn't be long now, he mused. Not long at all. The child sighed sadly and turned around.  
  
Only to be met with a black eyed alien.  
  
"AHHH!" Koenma launched himself into the curtains hanging in front of the window, gripping on for dear life. When he heard a girlish giggled behind him, he turned slowly to face the creature.  
  
The 'alien' standing there was a black haired human with jeans, a blue and white sailor jacket (like her uniform from school), a baseball cap and sunglasses. The black eyes were the tinted lenses, and Koenma suddenly felt very childish (pun intended).  
  
"Uh..." Koenma sat in shock for a sec before hopping from the curtain and pulling himself back into his chair. Sitting regally, he straightened out his clothing and hat and put on a serious face he'd worked hard on. Hearing a snort, he looked up to see the human desperately holding back laughter and glared, "May I help you?" His cold voice seemed to bring some sense to the ningen, but a lopsided grin still hung on the pale face.  
  
"Yup," the voice of the human was decidedly female, and something about it he couldn't help but like. It reminded him, in a distinct cheerful way, of Botan, "I'm here to speak to Koenma. I assume you're him?" Koenma nodded and she frowned, "Strange... I had assumed you'd be a bit... well, a bit more 'princely'." Koenma glared and she shook her head and put her hand in a defensive position, "Not like that. I only meant that I'd heard from the demons outside that you were an adult who... who didn't jump up curtains for instance." Koenma turned bright red, turning away in an effort to hide it.  
  
"You surprised me," he heard her giggled again and glared mutely at the wall, "You said you needed to speak to me?" The girl sobered and nodded.  
  
"I'd like to apply for a back-up position," Koenma's eyes widened and he openly stared. The girl blushed sheepishly and brought a hand up to scratch the back of her neck, "I figured since this is the first team with humans in as long as I can remember, I'd like to show some support for my species you know? Not that I have anything against demons... it's just they aren't to open to visitors. I'd hoped I could be there in case something happened. Wouldn't want the team to get bumped."  
  
Koenma realized that this could be an ideal situation. After all, he didn't exactly want to take Genkai's place, but he'd just assumed he'd stand on the teams shoulders. It'd be a lot easier if they did have a backup. But this was a little too ideal. Frowning in suspicion, Koenma narrowed his eyes at her.  
  
"Who are you working for?" The girls eyes widen and, even through the sunglasses, he could see her confusion.  
  
"Beg your pardon, sir?"  
  
"Who-do-you-work-for?" Koenma growled. The girls face turned sad.  
  
"I just thought I'd help!" Kagome murmured.  
  
"Yeah right! No one in this forsaken realm wants to help this team!" Koenma jumped onto his desk and pointed an accusing finger at her, "I'm the Prince of the Spirit Realm, son of King Yama, and I'm not idiot enough to believe you came her to support anybody!"  
  
"Geeze, toddler! What's your problem?!" She seethed. Paranoid kid. "You may not be idiot 'enough' kid but you're still an idiot! Fine! You want to know who I work for?!" she ripped her baseball cap off, spilling her hair down her back and revealing the star, "I used to know one of your team's players and there's no way in any of the hells that I'll watch him die!" Pulling her hair back up into the cap, she growled, "I didn't intend to fight in the stupid tournament, I just wanted to watch and make sure they'd be okay! I don't know what you're puny little brain can't comprehend, but I'll fight my way to the front row if I have to!"  
  
Kagome turned to walk out and went toward the door, walking past a running ogre on the way. She was already out the door before she realized what it was he'd been carrying. Spinning around, she marched back in, still angry, and grabbed the bowl of oden from the table just as the ogre sat it down. The kid seemed to still be in shock, giving her time to walk right back out of the room and toward the exit. She was done with it before she reached the exit and her spirits considerably higher.  
  
That all came crashing down when she came outside to find it raining. She would have just charmed her clothes to repel it, but she was pretty tired from all the magic she'd used today. After all, it was her first day using it, and she'd only eaten a serving of oden today. Besides, it wasn't a good idea to waste magic. It gave away too many secrets.  
  
Pulling the collar over her neck and holding the front of her baseball cap low, she ran towards the only place she could think of: the hotel Youko was staying at. Not sensing any familiar aura's Kagome sighed and sat down under a ledge besides the building. It was only mid- afternoon, but Kagome had only got a few hours of sleep the night before, and she had a feeling she'd only get a few tonight. Sitting down and making herself comfortable, Kagome pulled her hat down to hide her face and went to sleep, effortlessly putting up a miko barrier invisible to any sense. 


	7. Meeting Death and Genkai

AN: Hey all! Sorry. I have no excuse for my lateness. I'm just lazy. Please check out my one-shot Bloodlust: Predawn!!!  
  
Pulling the collar over her neck and holding the front of her baseball cap low, she ran towards the only place she could think of: the hotel Youko was staying at. Not sensing any familiar aura's Kagome sighed and sat down under a ledge besides the building. It was only mid- afternoon, but Kagome had only got a few hours of sleep the night before, and she had a feeling she'd only get a few tonight. Sitting down and making herself comfortable, Kagome pulled her hat down to hide her face and went to sleep, effortlessly putting up a miko barrier invisible to any sense.  
  
A couple hours later   
  
Botan was late. After pulling those two demons down and questioning their intentions, she'd only gotten one clue. They couldn't remember anything. And the smell of magic was strong. After bringing the demons into custody (a long and hideous task considering the paperwork she'd have to go through to attach them to their long and hideous, and low class profiles) she's decided to walk back instead of fly, which led her to be hopelessly lost. Finally giving up, she'd gotten out her oar and flew to Koenma's office. He'd been rather dazed when she got there and she'd had to question him for an hour (damn her curiosity) only to wield no results. Checking the clock and seeing how late she was, she'd panicked and ran out towards the hotel the boys stayed at. In her haste, she's forgotten the way (which didn't make sense because she'd gone there a million time) and the entire fact that she could fly.  
  
She'd wasted a good hour and a half in the rain trying to convince herself she HAD seen that coffee shop, that tattoo place, that bush...  
  
Now that she'd finally got back here, she smirked triumphantly. She'd known the whole time EXACTLY where she was! Really! How else did she end up here? Hmm?  
  
Boton ignored the dozen or so voices in the back of her head answering just that question and, still smirking, walked up to the hotel. She would have gone right in, and by all rights she should have, but a sound from the shadow stopped her. Turning to look, she saw a huddled form in the corner, wet from the rain, shivering in their sleep. Walking over to him, she leaned down and tried to tell from a distance if it was a violent youkai that would probably kill her if she woke her up. The rain had stopped, but it was a little chilly, and she had doubts that the creature would survive. The aura was so weak it should be dead by now.  
  
_Wait...  
_  
Probing further, Botan found that she couldn't find the aura. In a panic, she ran to try and save the figures life. No one was scheduled to die tonight. At least no one that would be near the hotel, and she couldn't let somebody go before their time.  
  
She was slightly shocked when her vision turned pink and the air around her held her still for a moment and searched her aura before letting her through. As soon as she was through, she felt the aura of the figure and caught her breath. A power like she'd never felt before sat in the huddled body. It was a demonic power so pure she'd almost call it more angelic then demonic. She couldn't make herself fear the person before her, but she couldn't keep her curiosity back either.  
  
Leaning forward, she took hold of the shoulder and shook. Stormy- blue eyes flew open, catching red in a shocked stare. The two stayed in that position until the huddled form spoke.  
  
"So you're death, ha? Not exactly what I'd expected..."  
  
Boton's eyes widened in shock. Then she grinned warmly and shrugged.  
  
"People always picture the reaper. Or a blonde haired angel that glows. Either way, I'm not really what they expect," Boton reach out her hand, "I'm Boton by the way. If you call me death in public people stare." Kagome giggled and grabbed her hand. Instead of shaking it in greeting she used it to pull herself up, almost pulling Boton down in the process. After muttered apologies the two laughed and begin to talk.  
  
They spent almost an hour in small chat, Kagome sharing jokes and little riddles about her past that kept the atmosphere light and Boton chatting about her "respectable" boss (who was still a pain in the butt, apparently) and the different problems 'the boys' had.  
  
Kagome had known from the moment the exchanged names ( "Just call me 'Gome...") who Boton was and the almost VIP position she held at the tournament. Becoming friends would benefit them in the long run. Besides, she liked the girl. So, holding back the urge to shake the information out of the girl, she instead allowed the conversation to continue along the line of comfortable things they both liked. Kagome was reminded of Sango, though the two were nothing alike. She just felt that same easy girl-to- girl feeling when she talked to her.  
  
Of course, any easy going feelings vanished in favor of nervous shaking when she realized she might well be meeting Youko soon. Kagome quickly pulled her baseball cap lower in an effort to shadow her face. Boton, oblivious to the sudden tense atmosphere, showed her the way to the boys room. Before her companion could object, she flung open the door and walked confidently in before gesturing for Kagome to follow. After a brief hesitation, she did.  
  
Damn you, Youko! she thought angrily. Your stupid curiosity has been rubbing off on me.  
  
When they found only two people in the room, neither of which were Youko, Boton again failed to notice the half relieved, half disappointed sigh of her companion.  
  
"Yusuke, Hiei. I'd like you to meet 'Gome. She was getting soaked outside so I invited her in to warm up!" Hiei didn't move. The only acknowledgement she received from him was opening one eye before shutting it and ignoring her completely. The other boy looked up at Boton and gave her an angry look.  
  
"You could get us in trouble, you know!" he growled. Kagome grinned, keeping her defenses up to protect her from the unobvious attention of the fire demon. He seemed to know something was different about her.  
  
"Well, Karma would be after you if you didn't help. Between Karma and demon hotel management, I'd be a little more afraid of Karma," Yusuke growled again and turned his focus to Kagome.  
  
"Like Karma would get me for turning away some demon bum," Kagome lifter her hat and grinned, showing off her normal teeth.  
  
"Wrong!" She shook her finger at him in a scornful gesture, "Karma may have it out for me, but I'm not a demon or a bum. Just didn't get reservations in time." Everyone in the room was shocked at her confession. Even Boton.  
  
"You're not a demon?" She asked, confused and wary. Kagome smiled at her.  
  
"Nope," seeing the distrustful expression on Yusuke's face she looked at him like he was a moron, "What? You thought you were the only humans with demon connections?" Kagome snorted and prepared for what she knew would happen next.  
  
The steel blade of Hiei's sword sparked angrily as it lay across her neck. Her eyes hardened, but the smile never left her face.  
  
"You should be a little more respectful," a voice hissed in her ear, "Not all demons like humans." Kagome grinned and moved the knife she'd had to his stomach since he'd appeared behind her. She felt him tense.  
  
"I'll be ready." Scortch came out from the folds of her jacket and jumped to her shoulder, face inches away from Hiei's as he growled, "I've never really been afraid of demons. Their arrogance tends to blind them from the dangers of a little girl." Hiei growled and begrudgingly backed off. She'd won that trail according to demon customs. Kagome smiled at the shocked looks of the other occupants and looked to Boton.  
  
"So... where can we get some food around here?"  
  
AN: Okay people.. I've become a little lost and bored with my own work so I'm going to be changing and twisting the story for my own enjoyment. I know that sucks, but that's how it works. I can give you one clue though! There will be a lot of the past mixed in with this story!!!  
  
Thank you all who've stuck with me even though my grammar sucks!!!  
  
Kagome laughed and slurped a Ramen noodle. She didn't like it all that much, but it was a familiar taste from her time in the feudal era.  
  
Boton had happily brought Kagome down to a little bar by the restaurant. The main reason she'd chosen this place over all others cause it was the only place they didn't serve human flesh. Kagome knew that it was illegal, but she also knew demons didn't like to follow rules. She was very thankful to Boton for her choice and, as a way to show it, paid for the food.  
  
That turned out to be a mistake.  
  
She was surprised at how much the girl could eat! You'd think death would watch her calories... Of course, when Kagome pointed that out, Boton waved it off and said that since death couldn't REALLY die anyway... what was the point limiting the pleasures in life?  
  
But it hadn't taken long for Kagome to figure out something wasn't right. The food had come later then with everyone else, and though she'd usually pass it off as a racist thing, she'd also noticed they'd each been given something they didn't order. When the waiter pointed at the man who'd sent it to them prepaid, they'd looked over to find an empty table. The waiter had been shocked but not angry. He had already paid for the drinks which were, surprisingly, the only things he'd ordered. And surprisingly, again, he'd taken them for a moment before he sent them over.  
  
Kagome knew right away what Boton had been given. The girl had regular alcohol. She found out then that death didn't have ANY tolerance to the stuff. She'd been drunk in almost one drink. No game.  
  
But Kagome's was worse. She could have smelled the poison in it from the door. So she didn't touch it. But she didn't comment on it either. She knew how to put on an innocent face. And just from knowing her as short as she had, she knew Boton didn't.  
  
So she laughed and told stories and eventually hauled a dead-drunk girl of death out of the greasy bar. All without touching the drink by her plate.  
  
Kagome faked that she was drunk, too. Calling a taxi, she pulled up the collar of her jacket and pulled her baseball cap a bit to the side. Mussing her hair, she asked the taxi-driver for a drink of whatever he was having. He wouldn't. At least not until he saw the fist-full of cash being presented as a trade. Then he smiled and handed it over.  
  
Kagome spilled a bit on her shirt ("... a bump in the road." according to the now snappish taxi-driver) and took a swig.  
  
It was most possibly the worst thing she'd ever tasted. It was a metallic drink with a bitter, long lasting after taste. She realized with extreme distaste that it was laced with blood. She could only console herself that the bottle said it wasn't human blood, but some exotic demon's.  
  
Passing it back to the driver, she slung Boton's arm over her shoulders and pulled her up. Not being able to resist, they engaged in a good-natured drinking song that would probably be suited to none but the most dirty-mouthed sailors. Singing loudly and a bit off-pitch they made their way to the apartment the team was staying in.  
  
Kagome was pretty put out when she found nobody inside. But, being Kagome, she quickly shrugged it off and brought Boton to the room she guessed was hers and dumped the girl on the bed. The girl was asleep. At least... she seemed to be. Every few minutes her eyes would snap open and she'd shout out a particularly loud verse in the song they'd been singing before falling back into the less unusual (but equally loud) snoring.  
  
Giggling loudly, Kagome made her way back out of the room.  
  
At the door, she ran into someone she didn't expect.  
  
Probably SHOULD have, but didn't.  
  
Somebody unusually short.  
  
Kagome giggled.  
  
"Hey, toddler?" She giggled again and clapped. She loved playing the drunk, " 'zat you? giggle Your look so CUTE!!!" And she promptly picked him up and spun him around. Koenma sputtered and screamed. Kagome giggled. George looked unsure. And Scorch just watched.  
  
"Put me down! Put me DOWN!!!" Kagome stopped giggling and put him on the ground roughly.  
  
"Fine! Your such a party pooper! No wonder you still wear diapers!" Kagome's face blanked, then she went into another series of giggles. Koenma scowled.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking... Well... even if you do. I'd like to know what, exactly, YOU are doing here???"  
  
Kagome looked at him with a look of confusion. Then her mouth went into a little 'o' and she looked like she finally understood.  
  
"I guess your parents wouldn't have told you yet, huh?" Kagome looked pensive, "Well, when a man and woman love each other very much they- "  
  
"No!" Koenma was deep red, "I mean what are you doing at this apartment, moron!" Kagome seemed to ignore the insult. She beamed.  
  
"I walked!" Koenma sweat-dropped.  
  
"Never mind... a couple unintelligible insults... just... Where is Boton?" Kagome giggled.  
  
"She's out." Koenma frowned.  
  
"...Out?"  
  
"Yup. Passed out just after we got back." Koenma sighed. The door to Boton's room creaked open.  
  
"... Koenma, sir?" a grumbled voice called. Kagome looked at the room and frowned, bubbly attitude gone.  
  
"It's time, Boton." Boton's eyes widened and teared up. The door opened all the way.  
  
"...No... not... not so soon?" It didn't come out like a statement, but a question. Koenma didn't say a thing. Boton's eyes widened even more, "But... Yusuke..."  
  
"He is done." Kagome frowned and looked down, making herself (not literally) part of the shadows. Boton hesitated, then walked stiffly to the door. She followed Koenma out the door.  
  
Kagome waited there only a moment before walking to the window and opening it. Stepping on the windowsill, Kagome groaned. She'd always hated heights.  
  
A little prayer and she was off. Landing silently, Kagome stumbled a second before righting herself and looking toward the end of the ally she'd landed on. She waited there several seconds, staring at nothing, before taking off at a run after her new friend.  
  
They had just gone into a lightly treed area when Kagome felt something that knocked her to her knees. It would have only hinted to a demon or even a highly trained human. But Kagome was a priestess, so reading aura's was her power.  
  
This aura was both black and gold. It was power and greed and anger and a long seeded hate. But there was something else. There was the smallest bit of love. Almost like the reaction to an old friend.  
  
It was a killing strike. Someone would never again see the end of these tree's.  
  
Tears came to her eyes and Kagome changed her path to collide with the strike. It took her only moments to reach the area where the death blow was. She looked towards the two forms in the center of the clearing and almost whimpered.  
  
A boy only about Kagome's age held an old woman. The old woman was bleeding. She could smell it from here. And her heart was slowing. The boy had tears streaking his cheeks while the woman spoke to him. Only the occasional insults broke a heart-achingly loving speech as she died. Kagome fell to her knees and prayed. Prayed for a painless passage to the next world. For a good life. And mostly for the boy who held her as she died. She prayed for him and all the others who'd be left behind.  
  
Kagome wasn't crying anymore by the time she finished. Prayer always did that for her. She was a priestess, after all.  
  
Kagome turned as she saw Boton at the edge of the clearing, speaking silently with the woman's soul. Kagome could hardly see the outline, but she knew she was there. Silently making her way to their side, she watched as Boton cried and the woman comforted her. Kagome smiled sadly.  
  
"Congratulations. You've earned yourself a pretty decent afterlife." Only the old woman heard her, but when she looked toward Kagome, so did Boton.  
  
"Kagome?... How... What are you doing here?!" Kagome smiled.  
  
"Saying goodbye to a woman whose earned the respect of a priestess." Boton was still a little tipsy from the drink and her mind mudded in sadness, so it took her a moment to understand. But Genkai understood immediately, and her eyes widened.  
  
"A priestess? In the land of demons?" Kagome laughed.  
  
"Pretty much, yeah. Say high to Jason for me." Genkai frowned.  
  
"Jason?" Kagome laughed.  
  
"The god of humor. He's pretty decent. You'll meet him soon." And Kagome disappeared.  
  
She'd reserved a room in the local hotel. That's pretty much where she reappeared. Dead tired from the magic she'd used, Kagome lie down and fell right asleep.  
  
But her dreams weren't like those she'd normally have had. She spent the night speaking to the old woman in the clearing about her life. She woke up the next morning with tears on her pillow.  
  
"Goodbye, Genkai."  
  
AN: I don't like this story much, but I'll continue for those of you who do. The real action of it should start next chapter, but I'm not sure. Thanks for reviewing!!! 


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